Plan Your Trip Times Picks

SPRING-SUMMER '98

SPRING-SUMMER '98; 'Happy Birthday' and Variations

Published: March 15, 1998

Correction Appended

(Page 4 of 12)

Another new production, Handel's ''Rodelinda, Regina de Longobardi,'' arrives on June 13. Anna Caterina Antonacci and Lisa Milne share the title role, and other principals include Umberto Chiummo as Garibaldo, Andreas Scholl as Bertarido, Artur Stefanowicz as Unulfo and Kurt Streit as Grimoaldo, with William Christie and the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment.

Verdi's ''Simon Boccanegra'' opens July 4 in a new production conducted by Mark Elder. It features Giancarlo Pasquetto in the title role, Elena Prokina as Amelia and Alastair Miles as Fiesco.

A revival of Richard Strauss's ''Capriccio'' features Kiri Te Kanawa and Felicity Lott alternating in the role of the Countess. Others in the cast are Kathryn Harries, Jennifer Rhys-Davies, Richard Croft, Gerald Finley, Rodney Gilfry, Victor von Halem, Bonaventura Bottone and Francis Egerton.

A revival of Rossini's ''Comte Ory'' finds Marc Laho in the title role with Annick Massis, Hanne Fischer, Jane Shaulis, Julien Robbins and Ludovic Tezier. Yves Abel in his Glyndebourne debut conducts the London Philharmonic and Glyndebourne Chorus.

Britten's ''Midsummer Night's Dream,'' which had its world premiere here in 1960, and the world premiere of Diedre Gribbin and Sharman MacDonald's ''Hey Perseph one'' are highlights of the 51st season, as are works by the American composer Peter Lieberson, including his String Quartet, performed by the Brindisi String Quartet, and his Second Piano Concerto, played by Peter Serkin.

Oliver Knussen conducts ''The Rose Lake'' by Sir Michael Tippett. Steuart Bedford leads the City of London Sinfonia and the Joyful Company of Singers in an all-Britten concert, and the Greater Boston Youth Symphony plays works by Ives, Copland, Gould and Stravinsky. The violist Tabea Zimmermann returns to play a new work by Alexander Goehr and Gyorgy Ligeti's Sonata for Viola.

Recitalists include the soprano Dawn Upshaw, the tenor Ian Bostridge, the pianist Stephen Kovacevich and the organist Kevin Bowyer.

In his third year as artistic director of this 54-year-old festival, the composer Michael Berkeley continues to highlight living composers, offering British premieres by Elliott Carter, Gyorgy Ligeti, Pierre Boulez and Luciano Berio. Commissions are also forthcoming from Gavin Bryars, Philip Cashian, Martin Butler, Judith Weir and George Benjamin, this year's composer in residence.

The Music Theater of Wales presents a new production of Harrison Birtwistle's chamber opera ''Punch and Judy,'' and Alfred Brendel plays all five Beethoven piano concertos. The festival also offers Beethoven's First, Third and Eighth Symphonies, Septet in B flat and the ''Archduke'' Piano Trio.

The Warsaw Symphony Orchestra brings works by the Polish composers Gorecki, Penderecki and Lutoslawski, and other festival performances include Sibelius's ''Karelia'' Suite, Smetana's ''Moldau,'' Mozart's Clarinet Quintet and Haydn's ''Nelson'' Mass, written 200 years ago.

''The Diary of One Who Disappeared'' by Janacek shares programs covering all of his chamber and piano music and his ''Glagolitic Mass.''

The birth 150 years ago of the composer Hubert Parry is celebrated at Europe's oldest continuing festival, dating from 1715. Festival goers will hear his 1887 ode ''Blest Pair of Sirens,'' his Piano Concerto in F sharp, Fourth Symphony, ''Songs of Farewell'' and the cantata ''The Soul's Ransom.''

The 70th birthday of Michael Hurd is celebrated with his ''Shore Leave'' for baritone and small orchestra, and Delius finds a place in the festival with his ''Songs of Sunset,'' the Cello Concerto and his orchestration of Grieg's ''Norwegian Bridal Procession.''

Works that inspired Parry will also be heard, including the first act and Grail Scene of Wagner's ''Parsifal,'' Bach's B minor Mass, Brahms's ''Tragic'' Overture and Berlioz's ''Carnaval Romain'' Overture and ''Damnation de Faust.''

Elgar also figures prominently this year with the Concerto in B minor for Violin and Orchestra and ''The Music Makers,'' and David Briggs supplies a Te Deum for soprano, tenor, chorus and orchestra as his festival commission. ''The Dream of the Rood'' by the Irish composer Howard Ferguson will be performed for his 90th birthday.

Correction: April 5, 1998, Sunday Because of a production error, a photograph of a concert at the Lion Monument in Lucerne, Switzerland, on March 15, with a listing of music festivals, was reproduced in mirror image. The double basses should have appeared at the right.

Book FlightsBook A HotelRent A CarBook A CruiseBook A PackageBook An Activity